Apparatus for shaping sheet proxylin and the like



April 29, 1924. 1,492,179

E. R. PERSON APPARATUS FOR SHAPING SHEET PYROXYLIN AND THE LIKE Filed March 15. 1922 QrLZFLEmm Patented Apr. 29, 1924.

" UNITED STATES EARL R. PERSON,

or mommsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS, Assieiv'on TO THE COMPANY, A CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS.

VISCOLOID APPARATUS FOR. sHArInesHEET PROXYLIN Aivn THELIKF.

Application med im ren 15,192 may is. 543,938.

To all whom it may comm:

Be it known that I, EARL R. PERsoN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Leominster, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Shaping Sheet Pyroxylin and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufac, ture of barrettes, pins and other devices of pyroxylin in sheet form. Heretofore the sheet pyroxylin has been stamped out to the desired'shape by cutting dies and then the edges smoothed and the necessary curvature put in itby aseparate operation. This necessitated the production of an article having substantially uniform surfaces on both sides because there was no convenient way of changing the thickness of the sheet material. Furthermore, in order to get an article of any specific thickness a blank of the same thickness had to be used.

The principal object of this invention is to provide for the manufacture of such an artlcle out of a blank thinner than the completed article will be, and to provide for varying the thickness of the completed article to any reasonable degree, so that a product can be secured which will have convex surfaces on its front face, thus making it much more attractive and salable; and to provide for securing these results by simple die punching and pressing operations and without complicating the procedure.

7 Further objects and advantages of the in vention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying'drawings, in which A Fig. 1 is a plan and longitudinalsection of a blank cut out in the usual way and constituting the material on which the device operates;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a complete set of dies and punches made in accordance with this invention, shown separated and partly in section;

V Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the dapper die;

V Fig. 4 is an end view of the. devicesshown in Fig. 2, but illustrating them in the position assuinedwhenin operation; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the'finished product.

As .has'been' the case heretoforeja blank of sheet pyroxylin or the like of whatever gauge is desired, say for example, /1000 is cut by. an ordinary cutter to producethe blank shown inFig. 1. This hasthe same outline'and general design as theffinished article to be produced. These blanks are cut from hot material, leaving a comparatively smooth edge but this has to be smoothed all over further by placing the blanks in a. tumbling outfit or rumble. After being tumbled for some time the, blanks are put in the press which is the subject of this invention, heated and operated upon by the dapping-up tool or die shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. This die changes the material toa thickness of perhaps /1000 of an inch, bends it into finished shape and rounds ofli the edges of the article. After this process is completed the article is then put into another rumble and tumbled, polished and finished as is the usual custom. a I The first step of the above mentioned proc-' ess can .produce a blank A such as shown in Fig. 1. This is fiat and is usually provided with one or more perforations as a. This blank is of the same thickness as the sheet of pyroxylin from which it is cut. The set of dies into which it is placed comprises a base 10, a platell resting thereon and a second plate 12. The plates, 11 and 12 are perforated for dowels 13 which constitute guides to keep these plates in proper registration with each other. On the base 10 there are two stationary cores 14 in the present instance, corresponding in shape and size with'the perforations a. Fixed on the plate 11 is the clapping die proper 15. This dapping die is a projection having the external shape, of the blank A and provided with perforations 16 of the same shape as the cores 14; The upper surface is of a generalconcave form to give the general convex shape to the article which is desired. It has amolding surface 17 forreceiving the bottom surface of the blank A and shaping it and this surface is of concave form throughout such part of it as is intended for producing a local convex shapeon the. article to be produced. The depth of 'concavity of thissurface 17 is greater than the thickness of the blank A. 'The height of the die 15 is just equal to the width of the plate 12 at'correspondi'ng locations. The plate 12 has an upper concave surface at 20, as stated, corresponding with the general concavity of the'surface 17 from one end to the" other. other words," when the plate 12is located in molding position, as shown in Fig. 4, the extreme upper surfaces of. theplate 12 and theid'apping die 15 cor-;

respond to form a portion. of a cylindrical surface. The plate 12, of course, has a per foration 21 therethrough for receiving the I itsmolding surface is smooth and'flat except thatit is convex in the manner specified.

The operation of molding is as follows: When the plate 25 is lifted the operator places the flat blank A in the concavity within the center of the top surface of the plate 12 and; compresses it down into curved position against the top of the die '15. It will be held there by the fact that its ends engag'e'the edge surfaces of the plate 12 as the die 15 does not come quite to the top of it at the ends. It will be remembered that it is heated. Now, the plunger 26 is forced down on the material and held down to shape the heated blank to the form of the mold. That is, it gives it the form of the completed articleB, shown in Fig. 5. This article has a general curved shape from one end to the other or, of course, it may have a wavy or any other shape, but its back, that is, its upper surface, is smooth andcontin'uously concave. Its front surface, the one that is to, be exposed when the article is worn, instead of being flat like the blank A is-rounded'at its edges and each section of it is convex on the front, as shown in the sectional view in Fig. 5. The total thicknessof' the completedlarticle B is considerably greater than that ofthe blank A. The perforations b are not modified except that their edges are slanting or convex-instead of straight as in the blank. The compression of the blank of celluloid between the parts of the mold set s the article in this form. Then the plunger is drawn up by the press, which is not shown, and the operator presses on a lever 30, the innerv end of which is connected with the plate 11 which it moves up. This brings the molded ator can pick it out.

article up above the cores so that the oper- 7 It will be'observed that the plunger is guided by the cores 14 as well as by the dowels and that theoperation is such as to produce an article which is much better finished. than can be produced by any of the old methods known to me. Instead of'leaving'the article in the This plate hasdowels'27 for guidform of a substantially fiat or at-l'e'ast uniform blank, its front surface is actually molded and brought into such shape that it will pass-for a hand carved. article and the fact that it is made from sheet material is entirely disguised. The finishing or polishing operations are. performed afterward as stated above. Although I have illustrated and described a certain procedure and only one shape of article, I am aware of the fact that-'theinvention canbe carried out with modifications in the order of steps and that an article of practically any desired shape can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed'in the claims.

Therefore, I do not wish to be limitedto all the details herein shown and described but what I do claim is i 1. Ina set of dies for shaping pyroxylin and the like, the combination of a plate havingprojecting from the surface thereof die with perforations extending all the Way through the same, stationary cores projecting from below up through saidperforations, a plate on the first named plate having a perforation for receiving the dapping-updie, and a plunger for shaping the top of an article'held by the dies.

2. In a set of dies for working sheet plastic material, the combination of a base plate, a second platemounted thereon and having projecting from the surface thereof a dapping-up die with perforations through the same, cores projecting from the base plate up through said perforations, a third plate on the second plate having a perforation for receiving the dapping-up die, a plunger for shaping the top ofan article held by the dies, and means forraising the secondand third plates'with respect to the base to eject the article molded.

3. In a set of dies for working sheet pyroxylin, the combination of a. base plate, a second plate thereabovehaving a dapping up die thereon provided" with vperforations, cores projecting from the base plate into said perforations, a third plate on the second plate having a perforation for receiving thevdapping-up die, said dapping up die and third plate having a .concavesurface from one end of the molding area to the other, and a plunger for shaping the top of an articleheld by the dies,'having a corresponding convex lower surface. i

a dapping-up inc . 4. In a set of dies, the combination of a 5 base plate, a second plate mounted and accurately guided. thereon and having projecting from the surface thereof a dapping-v the second plate having a perforation for ration for receiving the dapping-up die, and receiving the dapping-up die, and a plunger a plunger having a convex smooth continufor shaping thetop of an article held by the ous lower surface for shaping the top of dies. an article held by the dies and being pro- 5. In a molding device, the combination vided with perforations therethrough for re- 16 of a plate having projecting from the surceiving said cores. v face thereof a (lapping-u die with perfo- In testimony whereof I have hereunto afrations extending throng the same, cores fixed my signature. projecting through said perforations, a plate W on the first named plate having a perfo EARL R. PERSON. 

